Thai-inspired Shrimp Curry

In honor of Songkran, the Thai New Year, I’m making a Thai-inspired Shrimp Curry. I say Thai-inspired because although I took a class on Thai cooking, I’m no expert. I don’t have a Thai family recipe or secret curry techniques taught to me by a Thai grandmother. But by learning to balance salt, fat, acid and heat elements in a dish, this has become one of my favorite go-to dishes.

It’s key to remember to layer the flavors – let each flavor cook before adding a new one. This is an easy dish but adding a little patience gives you an even better result.

Flavors in this Curry

• Salt: Fish sauce – a pungent salty flavor that makes the dish richer, not necessarily fishy
• Fat: Coconut milk – the base of the soupy sauce that adds the creamy element and tones down the Thai chilies.
• Acid: Lime juice – a squeeze of lime is added while the shrimp cook, but the real acid comes from squeezing lime garnishes over the dish. This brightens the salt and fat components.
• Heat: Thai chilies – I added 2 chopped dried Thai chilies and the dish had a nice heat that didn’t kill my ability to taste the other flavors.

The final result blows your mind. Every bite brings complex flavors – it’s like eating a savory Gobstopper.

I also have a few strange additions like fig jam and orange juice which adds a more concentrated flavor. I also cheat a little by adding a little bit of green curry from the jar to intensify the curry flavor.

Thai Chilies

Thai chilies are… really hot. For context, Pepperscale.com says Thai chilies are “about 23 times the average heat of a jalapeño.” The heat of these chilies and their predominance is so many traditional Thai dishes took A LOT of getting used to when I was living in Bangkok. But it’s one of those “hurts so good” feelings. You begin to crave the burn. Don’t be scared of using these chilies, but start with ½ or 1 if you want to just “get your feet wet.” Use 2 full chilies with their seeds (chopped) if you like heat. Use 3 if you LOVE THE HEAT. Use 4 if you’re a daredevil (or Thai.)

Thai chilies can even be found in most large grocery store chains near the ethnic fresh produce section. That’s also where fresh Thai chilies can typically be found. I buy a box of fresh Thai chilies about once per year and keep them in a mason jar once they’ve dried out.

Lemongrass

Every Asian grocery store I’ve ever been to carries fresh lemongrass, as does Whole Foods. Lemongrass can also be in most large grocery store chains toward the ethnic fresh produce area. You can omit this if you have trouble finding it – but it adds a nice herbal element to this curry. I like to think of lemongrass as a Southeast Asian equivalent to a bay leaf.

Yield: 4

Thai-inspired Shrimp Curry

Print

A spicy, tangy, creamy and sweet Shrimp Curry hits all the Thai flavors you crave. Serve with rice, fresh cilantro and lime wedges.

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 50 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes

Ingredients

• ~20-24 shrimp, deveined and cleaned – keep tails intact
• 3 tbsp peanut oil
• 1 medium-to-large yellow onion
• 3 cloves garlic
• Juice from ½ lime, plus lime wedges for garnish
• 1-inch fresh ginger root, peeled and diced
• 2 Thai chili peppers, diced with seeds – I use dried, but fresh works fine too
• 2 tbsp curry powder
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• 2 14oz cans full fat unsweetened coconut milk
• ¾ cup chicken broth or water
• 3 tbsp green curry paste
• ¼ cup orange juice
• 1 stalk lemongrass cut into ~3 inch pieces
• 2 tbsp fig jam or orange marmalade - I wouldn’t recommend blueberry or raspberry, acidic or stonefruit-based preserves work best.
• 2 tbsp fish sauce
• Salt and pepper as needed
• 1 ½ cups fresh spinach leaves – I use a rough estimate of about two handfuls

Instructions

1. Heat the peanut oil in a large sauté pan over high heat.
2. Add onion and cook for 3 minutes, stirring constantly.
3. Using spatula move onions to sides of pan add shrimp to
   center. Cook over medium-high heat for 1 ½ min. Flip shrimp and squeeze juice
   from ½ of lime juice over the shrimp. Cook about 1 minute more or until pink.
4. Remove shrimp from pan and place on a dish. Set aside until they are room temperature and then place in refrigerator. It’s okay if the shrimp is still slightly raw in the center as they will finish cooking in the curry later.
5. Add garlic, ginger and stir. Let cook for about 2 minutes
   then add Thai chilies, curry powder and turmeric. Keep stirring over medium heat until pasty and fragrant.
6. Add coconut milk and chicken broth (or water if using). Stir
   every few minutes until soup comes to a simmer.
7. Add orange juice and jam and lemongrass pieces.
8. Cover and set to medium-low for 15-20 minutes stirring occasionally.
   Turn heat off but do not remove from heat. Let sit covered for 20 minutes.
9. Remove lemongrass pieces.
10. Add shrimp back to the pan along with spinach leaves and cook over medium heat uncovered for about 4 minutes or until shrimp are heated through.
11. Serve over jasmine rice and top with fresh cilantro or mint and lime wedges. Add chopped peanuts to give it a slight Indonesian flare. I also happen to like a sprinkle of black sesame seeds for a pop of contrast.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 350Total Fat: 16gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 64mgSodium: 1727mgCarbohydrates: 44gFiber: 6gSugar: 23gProtein: 13g